There is an unwritten dog walking etiquette believe it or not, no one tells you the rules, there isn't any written down but you are supposed to know them if you are to avoid confrontation, dirty looks or being talked about.

So how do you find out? 

You learn from other dog walkers, trainers in puppy classes, watching others, common sense and mainly experience.

Dogs can't talk, you may or may not have noticed.  However they can communicate, our job is to be able to understand it especially if there are kids involved.  I have a 3yr old nephew and I am teaching him the tell tale signs that the dogs are not happy with his actions.  If there is one thing people can learn from my blogs please let it be this.

I think it is important for all dog owners to learn how dogs communicate, you will then be able to tell whether your dog is happy with certain situations or not, by looking at their body language and subtle movements.  We can then teach the children the signs of stress or threat.

If you have a pet you understand but even some of my pet owning friends don't get me and think I'm mad.  This is because I travel all the way to Cardiff to a Physio for my dog.  Why?  Because they are the best and for me nothing but the best for my dogs.

SmartClinic in Cardiff is one of the best in the UK for rehab and physio, now the condition that Queenie is in proves it.  She has a form of arthritis and was hobbling a lot plus her elbows were very swollen.  She has had a conditioning and exercise programme, had hydrotherapy, acupuncture and massage, concentrating on muscle build up of her triceps, core and quads.  She now has no swelling, nor does she limp, nor does she bunny hop down the stairs and she runs around with a new lease of life.

So now I have been up and running this dogwalking business for 7 months what do I think? Did I make the right decision? Should have I stayed in my stable well paid job?

What do you think?

I have walked in all weathers, got soaked to the skin, hailed on, nearly blown to another field with the winds but I have loved it.  After working indoors for so long and sometimes never seeing daylight I did not care about the weather, I just got used to it.

After spending 2 months of needed rest in Portugal me and the dogs are back in Leamington Spa.  Are we glad to be back???  Only time will tell, I'm sure we will miss the beach but Dog Walking in the lush green grass of Newbold Comyn can't be beat.  We have enjoyed doing something different and the different surfaces have been great for Queenies' Conditioning and Toning, in fact she is looking great.